Coiler drum for strip material



Nov. 8, 1955 R. G. RUSSELL 2,723,036

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COILER DRUM FOR STRIP MATERIAL Filed May 21, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I2 /.08

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COILER DRUM FOR STRIP MATERIAL Filed May 21, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent Office 2,723,086 Patented Nov. 8, 1955 COILER DRUM FoR STRIP MATERIAL Robert Gordon Russell, Shetfield, England, assignor to Davy and United Engineering Company Limited, Sheffield, England Application May 2 1, 1952, Serial No. 289,090 Claims priority, applicationGreat Britain May 21', 1951 16 Claims. (Cl. 242-72 the coiler and the mill, and secondly, by entering the strip between the surface of the drum and a wrapping means such as belt wrapper, and continuing in this manner until a suflicient number of laps has been formed to enable the tension to be applied by frictional engagement consequent on the hoop stress that arises when metal strip is wound under tension. When the second method is usedwith a drum primarily constructed for operation by thetirstmethod, the said hoop stress effect causes the innermost lap to bulge inwards in to the space formed in the periphery of the drum by the slot which is necessary for the leading end'of the strip to be entered in order that it may be placed in the grippingmeans contained within the" drum. Bulges of the order of one sixteenth of an inch have been found to be quite common, While bulges of progressively lesser amounts have been found to extend as far as the eighth or tenth lap.

It is an object of the invention toprovide for sucha slot an improvedclosure means which normally remains an integral part of the drum structure and which at no timeduring the operations of winding or unloading the drum, presents any projection beyond the cylindrical envelope on which the coil is wound;

According to the present invention, therefore, a coiler drum formed with a slot arranged to receive one end of the strip material to be wound on the drum is provided with a member for opening and closing the slot while at alltimes'lyingin a position such that it does not intersect the envelope on which the coil is wound, the member being arranged, in the closed condition, to present between the'lips'of the slot a surface substantially conforming to the contour of the drum.

It is to be understood that the said envelope is the surface to which the innermost convolution of the coil conforms during winding.

The type of drum to which the invention is applied isoft'en constructed so' that it can be caused to contract radially to enable the wound coil to be removed. Such a-drum may be made in segments and the arrangement may either be such that all the segments are caused to approach the axis slightly or that one of the segments is radially fixed while the others'are movable. It is to be understood that the. present invention maybe applied whether the gripper slot is formedin a fixed segment or a radially movable segment.

Further objects of the'invention are to produce a c'oiler drum of the type having a pair of jaws for gripping the end of a metal strip which can accommodate automaticallystrips of different thicknesses, which has its gripping action augmented by centrifugal force, and which is so constructed that no undue" weakening'occurs in the drum segment'in which it is mounted.

Inorder that the invention may be clearly understood andreadily carried into effect, one coiler drum in' accordance therewith will now'be described, byway of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are cross sections of the drum showing the parts thereof in different relative positions, the section being on the'line II-II' in'Figure' 3',

Figures 3 and 3A are cross sectional views on the line Ill-4H, Figure 2, Figure 3A being a continuation of theright-hand' side of Figure 3, v

Figure 4 is across sectional view taken on the line IV-IV, Figure 2,

Figure 5' isa view of 'a' fragment of thedrum as seen when looking in the direction of the arrow V, Figure' 2, and

Figure 6 is an end view of the drum.

In this example, the drum comprises a main segment 1 fixed with respect to the axis'of rotation and two segments 2, 3 that can be pivoted relatively to the segment 1 so as to adjust the cross-sectional area of the drum, the gn'pper slot 4 bein formed in thefixed segment so as to extend along'a fairly short chord thereof andbeing tapered slightly towards its inner end at which it' joins a cavity 5' housing strip'clamp'ing mechanism as describedindetail below. In actual factonly the inner end'of the slot is formed in the segment'itself. So far as the inner surface 6 of the slot is concerned, that isthe surface nearestthe axis of'rotation'of' the. drum, the portion formed in the segment is cut short well before it reachesthe periphery of the drumbya relatively largerecess 70f arcuate crosssection' formed in the'segment' 1 and'serving as a bearing for the rotary closure member 8. The surface of the recess 7 is'continued by the'end of a plate 15, in a manner describedbelow, so that the actual arcuate bearing surface provided by the recess, together with the continuation thereof; is subtended by an angle a, Figure 2, greater than 180. The closureme'mberh' is of arcuate form over just' under one'half of its circumference and the other half' is formed with two surfaces 9, 1d, subtending, an angle of roughly to one another.. The surface 9"is thelonger of thetwo and, when viewed in end elevation (Figures-l and 2), comprises a chord of the-closure member which is curved at one end'l'l so that, when in the position of Figure 1, the surface merges into the periphery of the drum; When the closure member is at this open position of Figure l, the surface 9 forms a-continuation of the inner surface 60f the slot 4. When the closure member is turned to its closed position of Figure 2 the surface 10 bridges the gap between the edges 12, 13 of the slot'and thusprovides a substantially unbroken continuation of the curved surface of the drum.

The'portions of the drum surface on either side of the slot are not formed on the aforesaid main segment 1 itself but by the aforesaid plate 15, and a plate 14, both of "which are'comparatively thick'and secured by countersunk bolts in recesses formed in the segment 1 on either side of "the slot. formed on these plates which serve to retain the closure member Sin position. The edge'faces 16, 17 of these plates that face the recess 7 are arcuate in elevation (Figures 1 and 2) and a're crenellated so that the slot edges 12, 13 appear as in Figure 5. The radii ofthe inner and outer arcuate portions. of the crenellated' faces 16,

17 correspond to the inner andouter radii ofa series of peripheral grooves'18"cut in'the closure member 8,

so that the crenellations provide series of arcuate teeth shaped neatly to fitthejgrooves 18. The latter extend round the whole of the arcuate part ofthe closure member 8 and over the surface 10 but they do not appear on the longer surface 9'ex'cept at the ends thereof, because thejradiusof the'basesof thegrooves 18 is too great. The arcuate toothed face 16 of the plate 14 provides an. extension of the outer surface 19 of the slot, while the The aforesaid slot edges 12, 13'are 3 toothed edges of both plates 14, mate neatly with the grooved surface 10 on the closure member 8 when the latter is in the closing position of Figure 2, the surfaces of the ribs (Figure 5) between the grooves 18 forming extensions of the drum surface at the edges 12, 13.

At the end remote from the driving mechanism of the coiler, the closure member a; has formed in its end on a co-axial line a hexagonal socket 21 (Figure 6) so that the member 8 may be turned about its axis between the open and closed position by a suitably shaped key. At one or each end also, the head may carry a short crank arm 22 pivoted to a plunger 23 reciprocable in an oscillatable cylinder 24 containing a compression spring 25 interposed between the plunger 23 and the end of the cylinder 24. This spring mechanism snaps over a dead-centre position as the member is turned from one position to the other and then holds it in position against an appropriate stop. Figure 2 shows an alterna tive arrangement in which a ball 26 loaded by a compression spring 27 is arranged to snap into recesses 28, 29 corresponding to the two positions of the closure member 8. In this arrangement also the closure member is turned by a key fitting a socket. An index may be provided adjacent the socket to show the position of the closure member.

Returning now to the construction of the drum proper, it will be seen from Figures 3 and 4 that the main or radially fixed segment 1 is formed at opposite ends with bushed journal bearings 30, 31 which engage journal surfaces 32, 33 formed on a main shaft 34 mounted, cantilever fashion in roller bearings 35. On the side of the roller bearings remote from the drum, the shaft is connected to a source of power by which it can be rotated. The segment 1 is held on the shaft 34 in the axial direction by a cap 60 secured to the shaft 34 by bolts 61 and engaging the bush 62 of the bearing 36. On opposite sides (as viewed in Figures 1 and 2) the segment 1 is formed with a series of ears 36, 36a (Figure 4) that carry spindles 37, 38. Each of the pivoted drum segments 2 and 3 is formed with journal bearings 39, 39a mounted on the associated spindle 37 or 38 alternately with the ears 36 or 36a. At their free ends the pivoted segments 2 and 3 are formed with teeth 46, 41 that intermesh with one another (Figures 1 and 2) and the segment 3 carries an arcuate plate 42 that overlaps the teeth and provides a smooth periphery for the drum at the junction between the two segments 2, 3. Inside the drum, the main shaft 34 is formed with stop surfaces 43, 44 to engage the opposite ends of the radially fixed segment 1, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, but with a certain amount of lost motion.

In operation the coiler drum is held by means of a brake band on a rim 45, at a convenient position for the entry of the strip into the slot 4. After the strip is entered, the shaft 34 is slowly rotated through 10 of are from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2 until the radially fixed segment 1 is engaged by the stop surface 44, during which period lost motion is taken up and two sets of co-axial rollers 46, 46' mounted on the main shaft 34, engage rows of hardened cam strips 47, 48 fixed respectively on the inner surfaces of the two pivoted drum segments 2, 3 forcing them outwards to the extent permitted by stop surfaces 49, 56 on the segments 2, 3 that engage corresponding surfaces at the ends of the segment 1, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. The drum segments 2, 3 are forced outwards against the action of a tension sprin 59 secured between them at the outer end of the drum. The two sets of rollers 46, 46' are mounted respectively, with intervening needle bearings on spindles 51, 52 carried parallel to the axis of the shaft 34 by ears 53. 53a formed thereon.

Simultaneously with the expansion of the drum in the manner described above, a series of rollers 54, mounted on a spindle 55 carried by ears 56, alternating with the rollers 54, dovetailed on the main shaft 34, close the strip clamping mechanism to retain the end of the strip in the inner end of the slot 4, the strip being secured by jaws 5'7, 58 in the manner described below. As soon as the drum has been expanded and the strip clamped, the brake is released permitting the drum to rotate, the shaft 34 is accelerated and winding begins. When the strip is completely wound, the coiler is stopped with the drum lying at the above mentioned convenient position and the brake is applied. The weight of the coil is then taken up by a suitable apparatus, of which one form is disclosed in our British Patent No. 663,056, and the shaft slowly rotated in the reverse direction to its initial position with respect to the drum in which the stop surface 43 engages the drum segment 1. The tension spring 59 is thus permitted to return the hinged segments 2 and 3 to their innermost positions, thu contracting the drum and allowing the coil to be drawn off the free end thereof, the clamping mechanism for the strip also being released as a result of the reverse movement of the shaft 34. It will be observed from Figures 3 and 6 that the slot extends to the free end of the segment 1 beyond the end of the clamping jaw 57, 58, the extended portion of the slot being designated 4a in Figure 3. This extension 4a registers with a similar slot 4b in a cover plate 63 secured by bolts 64 to the journal bearing 30. Thus, as the coil is drawn off the drum, the portion of the strip in the slot 4 slide parallel to the drum axis through the slot 4 and its extensions 4a and 4b until it is clear of the drum.

The clamp jaw 57 consists of a hardened metal strip let into a recess in the upper surface of the slot 4 and secured in that recess by countersunk bolts 65. The inner jaw 53 comprises a series of aligned hardened metal sections dovetailed respectively into the tops of a row of reciprocable plunger 66 mounted to reciprocute in the radial passage constituted by the cavity 5 which extends nearly the whole length of the drum and has a widened portion St; at its inner end. Thus, the plungers 66 can slide radially in the drum. The plungers 66, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, are formed with lateral flanges 67 which lie in the widened portion 5a of the radial passage 5. Compression springs 63 are interposed between these flanges 67 and the tops of cavities in the radially fixed segment 1. These springs 68, therefore, tend to urge the jaw 58 radially inwards and away from the outer jaw 57.

Each plunger 66 is formed with a slot 69 extending longitudinally of the drum and opening into the inner face 70 of the plunger. A thrust member 71 i arranged to slide radially in the slot 69 in each plunger 66. Three radial cavities 72 are formed in each thrust member 71 and open into its outer face. A compression spring '73 is mounted in each cavity 72 and acts between the inner end thereof and the outer face of the slot 69, each spring 73 being under a limited amount of compression when the parts are in the positions of Figure 1. Lateral recesses 74 are formed at the top of each slot 69 and lateral stops 75 engage the inner faces of the recesses 74 to limit the inward movement of the thrust member 71 with respect to the plunger 66. The inner face of each thrust member 71 carries a hardened strip 76 formed with a cam face 77 on its inner surface to be engaged by one of the rollers 54. The strips 76 are fixed by countersunk bolts 79.

As the shaft 34 rotate from the position of Figure l to that of Figure 2 to take up the lost motion prior to driving the drum, the cam rollers 54 roll over the cam faces '77 urging the assemblies comprising the jaw sections 58, the plungers 66 and the thrust members 71 radially outwards while the spring 68 are compressed. If there is no strip to be gripped contact between the jaws 57, 58 is made slightly before the rollers 54 have rolled to the end of the inclined portion of the cam faces 77, so that the springs 73 are further compressed until the rollers 54 have urged the cam faces 77 radially a far outwards as possible (Figure 2). However,

if strip lies between the. jaws, contact between the. jaw 57', the strip and the. jaw S8'takes place earlier in the passage of the rollers along the inclined portion of the cam faces, so that the springs, 73' are compressed by an additional increment depending on the thickness of the strip. The extent to which the springs 73Lare .compressed depends on the thickness of the strip. In any event the movement of the shaft 34 relativelyto the segment 1 ceases when the. rollers. 54. have moved just beyond the inclined portions of' the cam faces 77 so that the line' of the reaction of the plungers 66 and thrust members 71. passes, through the axis 0, Figure. 2, of the shaft 34 as, indicated by, the arrow P. When the shaft 341s. returned to its. originaltposition of-" Figure. 1, the rollers. 54 roll. over. the, cam: faces. 77 so. asfirst gradually to allow the springs 73 to relax and then the springs 68 to relax so that the jaw are fully opened. It will be appreciated that the springs 73 are substantially stronger than the springs 68.

As the rollers 54 mount the cam faces 77 so a to cause the jaws 57, 58 to grip, there is a tangential component of force on the strips 76 and the inner face 70 of each plunger 66 is formed with a shoulder 78 which, if necessary, will give lateral support to the associated strip 76.

It will be observed that the strip engaging faces of the jaws 57 and 58 lie parallel to the slot 4, but are displaced above the slot 4 so that the strip is kinked in passing between oblique surfaces 80, 81 on the jaws to the main strip engaging faces.

I claim:

1. A coiler drum formed with a slot extending substantially parallel to the axis of the drum and arranged to receive the end of a length of strip material to be wound on the drum, said drum comprising, in combination, means within the slot for clamping the strip therein, and a closure member mounted to rotate about an axis, said closure member being so shaped and said axis being so located within the drum that, in all positions of said closure member about said axis, said closure member lies wholly within the peripheral contour of the drum, and said closure member being formed with a peripheral slot closing surface so shaped as to move about said axis between a position inside said drum in which it leaves said slot open and a position in which it presents between the lines, extending along the drum, at which the slot joins the curved surface of the drum, a surface conforming to the peripheral contour of the drum.

2. A coiler drum according to claim 1, in which said closure member is rotatable about an axis, parallel to the drum axis, and located within the drum at one side of the slot and recess means in said drum on one side of said slot for accommodating the whole of said closure member when the latter is in the position in which the slot is left open.

3. A coiler drum according to claim 1, in which said closure member is formed with two surfaces at an angle to one another and extending longitudinally of the drum, one of which serves to provide a continuation of the periphery of the drum when the slot is closed and the other of which provides a portion of the slot wall located wholly within said drum contour when the slot is opened.

4. A coiler drum formed with a slot opening into the peripheral surface of the drum and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the drum while extending inwards along a chord thereof, the slot being formed on one face thereof, within the periphery of the drum, with an arcuate recess providing a bearing surface subtended by an angle greater than 180 also extending parallel to the axis of the drum, and said drum comprising, in combination, means within said slot for clamping the end of a strip to be wound on the drum, and a slot closure member rotatable on said arcuate bearing surface between a position in which it closes said slot and a position in which it leaves said slot open for the passage of the strip thereinto, said closure member being formed" so that; in the closedfpositi'on, it extends the periphery of the drum across the mouthof the slot.

5. A coiler drum according to claim 4,v in which said closure member. is formed along the length thereof, with a fi'rst" surface ofarcuate cross section that mates with said arcuate recess, a second surface. that. forms, a portion of the wall, of said slot when saidclbsure member is-in the open position, and' a third surface that provides a' continuation of the curved surface of said d'rumwhen said closure member is in theslot closing position.

6". A coiler drum according to claim 4, in. which. said closure member isformed along the length thereof'with a surface that forms a portion of the wall' of said slot and with a further surface that provides a continuation of the curved surface of said drum when said closure member i in the slot closing position, said further surface being formed with a series of grooves at right angles to the axis of rotation of said closure member, the outer edges of said slot being formed with crenellations that fit into said grooves when said closure member is in the slot closing position, the outer surfaces of said crenellations and the surfaces of the portions of said closure member between said grooves substantially conforming to the cylindrical periphery of said drum.

7. A coiler drum formed with a slot opening into the curved surface of the drum and extending longitudinally thereof to receive the end of a strip to be wound on said drum, a pair of jaws for gripping said strip within said slot, a first jaw being fixed with respect to the drum and the second jaw being reciprocally mounted, jaw closing mean mounted for to-and-fro movement and having a fixed stroke for forcing said second jaw toward said first jaw to grip the strip, and resilient mean interposed between said closing means and said second jaw and arranged to yield after strip has been gripped by said jaws and while said jaw closing mean completes its stroke, so as to accommodate strips of different thicknesses.

8. A coiler drum according to claim 7 provided with auxiliary resilient means for positively separating said jaws when said jaw closing means are withdrawn.

9. A coiler drum formed with a slot opening into the curved surface of the drum and extending longitudinally thereof to receive the end of a strip to be wound on said drum, and also formed with means for guiding a reciprocable plunger, said drum comprising, in combination a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said guiding means, a thrust member mounted to reciprocate in said plunger, resilient compression means interposed between said thrust member and said plunger, a jaw carried by said plunger, a second jaw mounted in said slot and fixed with respect to said guiding means, and a member arranged to oscillate across the path of said plunger so as, by cam action on said plunger, to force said jaws to grip the strip in said slot.

10. A coiler drum according to claim 9, comprising auxiliary resilient means for moving said plunger in a direction away from said second jaw.

11. A coiler drum according to claim 9, in which said plunger, said thrust member and said first-mentioned jaw are divided into sections along the length of the drum.

12. A coiler drum according to claim 9, in which said plunger and said thrust member are guided to reciprocate along a radius of the drum.

13. A coiler drum according to claim 9, in which said resilient compression means consist of a number of helical compression springs, acting in parallel, and distributed along said plunger and said thrust member.

14. A coiler drum according to claim 9, wherein the drum comprises outer and inner portions, the latter being arranged to drive the outer portion but the two portions being formed to provide a limited amount of relative rotation between them, said plunger being mounted in said outer portion and said oscillatable member being mounted on said inner portion.

15. A coiler drum according to claim 9, wherein the drum comprises outer and inner portions, the latter being arranged to drive the outer portion but the two portions being formed to provide a limited amount of relative rotation between them, said outer portion being divided into segments enabling the cross-sectional area of said drum to expand and contract, and said drum being further provided with resilient means for urging said outer portion to the contracted condition and with cam means, interposed between said two portions, causing said outer portion to expand when relative rotation in a predetermined direction takes place between said two portions.

16. A coiler drum as in claim 9, further comprising cam surfaces on said osciilatable member and said plunger, said oscillatable member and said plunger and the cam surfaces formed thereon being arranged so that, when said plunger terminates its stroke, the line of the reaction of said piunger on said oscillatable member passes through the drum axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

